The Ferrari Challenge Europe enters its thrilling and decisive phase at the Nürburgring circuit, where the Ferrari Racing Days are underway.
Friday’s qualifying sessions set the starting grids for the races on Saturday and Sunday.
In the first Coppa Shell Am session, Greek driver Zois Skrimpias (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM), who is strengthening his lead in the overall standings, took the top spot, finishing over a second ahead of Germany’s Josef Schumacher (Eberlein – Schumacher Racing), who will start alongside him with Roland Hertner (Gohm Motorsport – Engstler).
However, Germany's Jan Sandmann (Kessel Racing) will start from pole position in Sunday's race, thanks to a time of 1'59"609 set in Qualifying 2 under a faint sun.
Competition remains intense in the Trofeo Pirelli, the championship’s main and most unpredictable class, with the overall standings still tightly contested. In Race-1, Luca Ludwig (MERTEL Motorsport) will start from pole, 369 thousandths ahead of championship leader Giacomo Altoé (Emil Frey Racing). American Dylan Medler (Pellin Racing) qualified an excellent third.
In the second race, the front-row positions will be reversed, with Giacomo Altoè securing pole in an extraordinary 1'57"083, ahead of Luca Ludwig. Philipp Baron (Gohm Motorsport – Baron) is third.
In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, a returning Franz Engstler (Gohm Motorsport – Engstler) took pole position in Race-1, while Federico Al Rifai (Rossocorsa) qualified in pole with the fourth fastest time overall in the second race.
Henry Hassid (Kessel Racing) set an extraordinary time of 1’59”935, becoming the only driver to dip under the two-minute mark in the first Coppa Shell qualifying session on a damp track. He edged out his teammate, Ernst Kirchmayr (Kessel Racing), by just 75 thousandths. In the second session, the Frenchman once again delivered the best performance, this time finishing ahead of John Dhillon (Graypaul Nottingham).
With season champion Fabrizio Fontana (Formula Racing) absent, Aleksei Komarov (Scuderia Praha Racing) will set off from pole in the Trofeo Pirelli 488 for Race-1, while Swen Schomer (Ferrari Katowice) starts first in Race-2.